Next Windows Phone 8 Update in Testing, Will Enable a Nokia Phablet

Just as the Windows Phone 8 GDR2 update’s rollout is starting to gain steam, rumors of its successor, and the smartphone that it’ll power are solidifying.

The Verge is citing sources that believe the Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update is actually already in testing, and that it’ll finally add the ability for Windows Phones users to lock the orientation of their device’s screen. According to those sources, GDR3 will also mark a huge change for the Live Tiles that Windows Phone has become infamous for. Microsoft will also, allegedly, introduce a “driving mode option” for Windows Phone users as well.

The screen bezel of an unannounced Nokia device with a large screen.

A post to the Windows Phone area of the site Reddit elaborates more on what could be in Windows Phone 8 GDR3. According to the user, who has a decent history with sharing accurate information about Microsoft’s plans for Windows Phone, the same orientation lock, automatic driving mode, enhanced Live Tiles, the ability to lock the screen orientation, and support for new 1080p displays that The Verge cites, are definitely included in the update.

Additionally, the leaker also believes that there are other features that could make it into the update. Those include an 80% chance of users being able to close applications from the multitasking screen in Windows Phone, and a 60% chance that Microsoft will kill the chime that Windows Phone makes when it comes in contact with another NFC device.

The anonymous Reddit user was careful enough to note that he wouldn’t be providing a source for the information he was sharing because “there [wasn’t] one.”

By itself, that Windows Phone 8 GDR3 is already in testing wouldn’t be much of shocker, Microsoft is using these periodical updates to bridge that gap until it can ship Windows Phone 8.1 or “Windows Phone Blue”. The key information here is that both sources confirm reports that Windows Phone 8 GDR3 will add support for large screen displays, just like the one that Nokia is bringing to market to battle other large-screened devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Not much is known about the super-sized Nokia Lumia phablet other than the fact that a leaked picture of the bezel confirms what is already pretty standard at this point, the device will run Windows Phone. Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Nokia Lumia phablet are rumored to be making their way to consumers this fall.